Today’s storms and the return to school marks the start of autumn and all the joyous colours and excitement this time of year conjures up.
September is also Deaf Awareness Month, a time to promote understanding and reflect on how to be more accessible and inclusive with people affected by hearing loss.
For the one in three adults in the UK living with some form of hearing loss, the workplace can often feel like an obstacle course: muffled conversations, meetings without captions, the awkwardness of asking “sorry, could you repeat that?” for the third time.
It is possible to be inclusive no matter what the environment. The recent Coldplay concerts being a prime example of what inclusion can look like, with sign-language interpreters centre stage, vibrating vests so fans could feel the rhythm, and Chris Martin himself signing part of a song.
Deaf awareness is growing and I’m looking forward to attending the highly acclaimed Finger Talk exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London which aims to reminds us that communication is not just about sound, but touch, movement and creativity too.
In our workplaces it’s important to remember to recognise the spectrum of hearing loss from the needs of those who are profoundly deaf and those who use British Sign Language as their first language, through to those who are losing their hearing gradually over time or who have always been hard of hearing but not profoundly deaf. It’s important that we think about how to be flexible in our approach to communicating with and working alongside a diverse group of colleagues who may have different communication needs. It is equally important to be empathetic when planning meetings or learning interventions, customer meetings, sales pitches or other group interactions to ensure everyone can take part and be at their best. Perhaps that means providing captions in meetings, ensuring clear visual cues, or simply giving people the space to ask for what they need without fear of judgement.
Inclusion shouldn’t be an afterthought or an add-on but instead it should be part of the fabric of how we work and interact together. It makes life easier for everyone, after all I think most of us have missed something being said a noisy room, or zoned out in a jargon-heavy presentation! Clearer communication, in all its forms, is good for all of us.
So this Deaf Awareness month please take time to consider how you can engage everyone, colleagues and customers in all your work interactions. If you need help, please contact me hello@senseprogress.com
#inclusion #connect #belong #deafawareness #hearinglossawareness #accessibility #communication